


Pomegranates and Roses

by ghosthargrove



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Hades & Persephone au, M/M, i couldnt get this idea out of my head so here we are, might get a little nsfw later on, not sure if anyone else will be in here yet? the kids will prob be nymphs but who knows, the boys are gods, the names go back and forth, think it might end up being a mix of old & modern style clothing i havent decided
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-20
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-09-22 23:21:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20330194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghosthargrove/pseuds/ghosthargrove
Summary: Billy is Hades & Steve is Persephone 👌





	1. Chapter 1

Everything was so dark here, wherever  _ here  _ was. 

Steve was frightened-no, terrified, and more confused than he had ever been. Where were his friends? They hadn’t been far from him, leaping amongst the shoulder-tall flowers and golden grasses, he had even cried out to them when an arm snatched him from the very ground he had been running on and took him into this dark, dark place. Everything ached from the fall, and the only steady thought in his head was the memory of watching the split in the Earth close above him- the last bits of sunlight vanishing from his eyes.

He felt blind, almost, as his hands felt around for anything familiar, but he couldn’t find anything in the shadows that seemed to writhe like living things. He wanted to be home, back beneath the sun that kissed his skin so fondly, back with the flowers he had made, back with the world he knew. Tears burned at the back of his eyes, the only other thing he could feel beside the loose white robe he wore. Something moved behind him and he turned sharply, his heartbeat pounding in his ears. It was almost like he had imagined it- for it didn’t come again, not for another long moment. He stared hard into the darkness, willing for  _ anything  _ to appear before him, and one of the times he closed his eyes, he almost couldn’t tell. 

“Don’t be afraid,” a low voice echoed from somewhere near him, and he let out a quiet, strangled whimper in response. Adrenaline blazed through his veins, ice cold, and he dug his fingertips against the floor. “Who are you? Where am I?” He said back demandingly, his body trembling. In a moment like this, he wished he could be strong like his mother, but here he was, shaking and scared. Easy prey. There were eyes on him, studying his tanned skin and lean body- he only wished he could tell where exactly they were. Damn his sunlight accustomed eyes. Steve heard the sound of him stepping closer, kneeling before him. “You can’t tell who I am?” He asked, his voice still low, still a little too pleased. A chuckle followed not long after, and he scrambled backward away from him, swallowing down another wave of fear. “Have they forgotten about me, up there? Do they not tell my stories anymore?” He said, lighting a torch before him. The fire that sprang forth was blue and cold- Steve flinched and recoiled from it, eyes closing tightly for a second, then looking at the face it revealed. 

_ Hades. Also known as Billy _ \- oh hell he remembered him now. Shoulder length, surprisingly blonde curls, sharp blue eyes always tensed with anger, a muscular body hidden by dark clothes. “Hades,” he barely made the name out, and he chuckled, tilting his head at him as he rose, settling the torch in a holder Steve didn’t realize was there. It was strange seeing him so close- he had only ever caught glimpses of him from behind pillars, from spaces in tall grasses, from a crack in a wall. Every sight of him had frightened him for reasons he didn’t know, but now here he was, hands clasped at his waist, bathed in an eerie blue light; and Steve was entirely at his mercy. “Well, now that you remembered- do you recognize where you are? Or do I have to tell you?” Billy asks him, raising an eyebrow. There’s a scar in it, almost unseeable from where he’s frozen against the wall, but he catches it nonetheless. “Why? Why would you bring me here? You know I don’t belong here,” he spits out, all too fast. God, he sounds desperate. “Please let me go home.”

This is where Billy laughs, his grin wolfish as he tips his head back. Steve’s heart is pounding so loud he’s sure the God before him can hear it- he prays he can’t. “Let you go home? I just brought you here. There’s nothing to gain in returning you,” he says, his voice so so low, and he steps closer, watching as he presses himself harder against the wall. “Why do you want me here?” He whispers, unable to get his voice any louder. The male stops just before him and kneels down, once again eye level with his pretty little capture. “Why would you think,  _ Persephone _ ? Why would you think I hunted you down after catching glimpses of you peeking at me from places you thought I’d never see you?” Billy says, and Steve finds that his name sounds almost taunting when it crosses his lips. “Because, to put it simply, I could, and I wanted to.”

He’s inches away. He smells like cinnamon and saltwater, oddly enough, and Steve lets out a frightened whimper at how close he is. He tries to take in a deep breath, but it shakes all the way through. “I’m sure my mother-” “Your  _ mother  _ has no control here, sweetheart. No one can save you, or step in here. Well, Hermes could. But it doesn’t mean he’ll get the chance to even try,” he says, cutting him off. Billy even  _ laughs  _ at the sentence. “And sure, your mother will go to my brother, I’d assume, but that’s nothing to me. If you think I gave a fuck about what they do, you’re wrong,” he growls out, and Steve startles at the way his words become so much harsher when he swears. “There’s nothing for me here, I don’t understand,” he says quietly, and he laughs again, taking Steve’s chin in his hand and tilting his head up a bit. “You will, in time.”

Billy knew he could ravish him right here against the wall, he could take everything he wanted and turn him back to the sun, but that wasn’t what he truly wanted. It would be too easy, too soon. The Gods above would think he gave up with him, that he won the battle of his kidnapping- that wasn’t going to happen. Besides, he didn’t really want to hurt him. It had been a year too long since he had laid eyes on the sweet God of spring and had fallen in love with him right there, and finally he had him in his home. He wanted him to stay here, to rule beside him, but he had to be willing. It would be better to have him  _ like  _ him then hate him more than he already did, anyway. 

And, he thought, it would be much more fun to corrupt him in a way that would please them both- when Steve wasn’t terrified of him.

Steve watched as Billy picked up the torch, turning around to where he probably came from, blinking as he looked over his shoulder. “Come,” he said simply, stepping forward. “What if I don’t?” He asked, his voice a bit taunting, a bit daring. The God turned back around and sighed annoyedly, glancing down the hall he had come from. “I have ways to take you with me. Right now, I’d advise that you just do it.” His voice was a bit stiff, but he shook his head, crossing his arms. “I don’t think I’m going to,” he said, attempting to come off as confident, closing his eyes for a moment. He shouldn’t have, because the male stepped forward all too quick, placing the torch back and knocked him over, pinning him to the floor. Steve’s eyesight swam with stars for a moment. “Plant your feet next time you try this,” he growled down to him, then scooped him up and threw him over his shoulder.

Steve squirmed unsuccessfully, looking around frightenedly as Billy picked up the torch and continued down the hall. “Where are you taking me? You better answer me!” He demanded, feeling a little bit more confident than he had been a moment or two ago. “Your  _ room _ , which will soon be your home. How do you feel about that, pretty boy?” Billy asked snarkily, and he felt cold dread fill his veins. It felt like he had been dropped in one of the rivers in winter, all through him. “You can’t mean to keep me here forever. I won’t let you!” He exclaimed as Billy stepped through a rather large doorway and stopped, setting him back on his feet. The God was back to being just inches away, making his breath catch hard in his throat again. “I will let you go whenever  _ I _ fucking want,  _ if  _ I ever want to, let me make that clear. My rules are different than any of the ones my brother made. Anyway, dinner is in an hour. Be there. Don’t make me come get you,” he snarled, and Steve felt tears prick his eyes for a minute. 

Steve stepped into the room Billy had led him to, closing the door behind him. He walked over to the wide bed that sat against one of the back walls, carefully seating himself on it and sighing shakily. It felt comfortable at least, and the blankets were soft- he found a bit of surprise at that. All he really wanted to do now was curl up on it and just cry until his chest hurt or until he fell asleep, but he knew he couldn’t. He couldn’t risk sleeping now, so instead, he just let the impending tears that were forming run down his cheeks. The room was carved out of gold lined marble, glossy ebony, and deep velvet- the blue lighting of candles that hid around the room made it almost pretty. Not as pretty as his home, but pretty in a way that was.. scary. He closed his eyes and thought about his flowers, and only opened them when he heard an odd rustling above him. The structure above the bed was lined in various types of them, colored in all shades of blue he had ever imagined. God, he didn’t even know how he managed that- it was something he had never done. 

There was a long mirror in the corner, and as he stood to stand in front of it, he watched thick bunches of the same blue flowers crowd along the ebony edge that hugged it, hiding it beneath their petals. Steve looked at himself for the first time, bathed in blue, and brushed his tears away, taking a deep breath that gave him some confidence back. He could do this, he had to. He had no other choice. It may be terrifying, but he was Persephone, the God of Spring- and Billy had chosen  _ him _ . He could do this.

  
  


An hour passes much sooner than he expects, and thankfully, Billy makes it easy to find the dining hall. The hallway is lit by the same torches he had held when he came to him- all the way up to a large doorway. The flames almost seem to wave at him as he passed by, throwing deep and long shadows at his feet and across the walls until he opens one of the big doors, and inhales deeply. 

What is plated at the long table is nothing like he had at home, all stacked high on silver platters- rich meats as tan as his skin, fruit that was most likely pomegranates, various breads, and a cup full of something dark. Billy is waiting for him across the table, and when he steps in, he smiles in a way that just seems  _ cold _ . His eyes are low lidded, almost bedroom like, and his confidence shrinks beneath their gaze in a way he had never felt. Steve watched his tongue roll across his teeth, and hunted for any sign of a window that he could look out of while he ate- but there was nothing. Nothing to tell him that there was anything outside of his dark palace, nothing to reassure him. He sighed worriedly as he took the seat across from the God, meeting his eyes as Billy picks up a pomegranate from the plate before him and slices it in his hand- he watches its’ juice pour down between his fingers and drip on the table like blood. “Have you ever eaten a pomegranate, pretty boy?” He asks, his voice content as his fingers gut the fruit. 

Steve shakes his head nervously, watching as he rolls a heap of seeds across his palm and onto his plate. Billy places one in his mouth and gestures to the ones before him, still grinning. There’s red on his tongue. “Here’s the perfect time to, then. It won’t hurt you.” For a moment, he almost considered it, then met the God’s gaze again. “Why should I trust you? You  _ stole  _ me. I shouldn’t eat anything on this table!” He declares, despite his stomach rumbling. Billy laughs, and he notes the red on the inner corner of his lip and painting his tongue- he looks dangerous like this, despite his pleasant voice. “Even we need to eat, Persephone- or should I call you, Steve. Besides, why would I try to poison you? I captured you for a reason, and it  _ definitely  _ wasn’t to kill you,” he purrs, and Steve shifts in his seat. “I don’t need you fading away because you’re being fucking stubborn.” When he swears this time, it creates a heat in his chest he doesn’t understand, but he squashes it, closing his eyes. 

“C’mon, Steve. Just think- many people of all kinds would _ kill  _ to be where you are. Men and women, dryads, nymphs, whatever you can think of, there’s someone out there  _ hoping. Hoping _ to get even just a little bit of my attention- I could have anyone I ever wanted, but here I am, choosing you. You can’t tell me you aren’t flattered by that,” he remarks, and he blanches a bit, because he knows he’s right. Something in Hades of all people had always called to him when he’d peer around all sorts of objects to get a glimpse of him, but he never wanted to voice it. Never wanted to even  _ think  _ of it for longer than a second. 

“Why didn’t you then? If you could have all of these people, why didn’t you take them if you knew they’d just give themselves to you so fast?”

At that, Billy smirks, leans back in his seat, his stained fingers rolling the pomegranate seeds across his fingertips. “Why would I want them when I could get you?” he asks, licking his lips and raising that scarred eyebrow again. “Why would I want them, when I could have the most beautiful man I’ve ever laid eyes on.” His teeth rake slowly across his lower lip for a moment, and Steve watches it a little too closely, lifting his dark eyes to the God’s lighter ones again. There’s heat in his cheeks, enough that the male leans forward and chuckles. “You don’t get complimented by guys often, do you, Steve?” He murmurs, and he shakes his head. It feels strange hearing him use the name under his.. usual one, but it feels _ right _ , in an odd way. “No.. never. Girls, sure, but not often guys,” he says back, a little too honest. Billy chuckles again.

“I’m not surprised, honestly. Have you ever been anywhere by yourself? Or would your mother stay hanging onto your elbow?” He asks, a little bit dryly. Steve narrows his eyes, leaning back in his seat, and crosses his arms over his chest. “My mother is great to me! She always keeps to my best interests-” “That’s not what I asked,” he says stiffly, cutting him off. “Have you ever been anywhere by yourself, Steve?” He relents finally and shakes his head, just a little. Billy sighs loudly at this, and lays a slice of meat on Steve’s plate, beside the seeds. “That’s what I thought. Just think, if you were to live here, I could take you  _ anywhere _ you have ever imagined. You could have all of the freedom you wished for.” Steve frowns, cuts a small piece of the meat, and lays it on his tongue as he thinks over his words. “I would never be able to live here without sunlight, Hades,” he says quietly, not looking up at him. 

The God is quiet for a long time, but he continues to eat, studying him. Steve can’t stop hearing his words from just a moment ago, all of the comments about him being beautiful ring in his ears. “Could I be excused?” He asks softly, almost too quiet. Billy sighs and nods, shifting upright in his seat. “You don’t have to ask, Persephone. Like I said, this can be your damn home. Don’t worry about it. Sleep well,” he says back, and Steve catches a hint of disappointment in his voice as he stands up and turns to leave the room. He chooses not to answer, returning to the hallway of long shadows and slowly, to his room. 

He almost debates on exploring a little bit before turning in, but his body calls for laying down. That night, sleeping is nearly impossible- he tosses and turns as he tries to escape the blue flames and deep shadows just for a little while, but he keeps seeing the God’s handsome face and the heat in his eyes everytime he closed his own. 


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, he had woken up, reminded himself that he could do this, found an outfit on the desk in the corner of his room, and then made his way to the dining hall- only assuming that he was to meet Billy there for what was probably breakfast. Everything seemed much brighter today, in an odd way, as if there was some kind of light outside of the palace, as if the Underworld even  _ had _ any light. The halls and rooms were lit by a soft white light, actually, but it felt cold in a way that made him shiver without there actually being a damn chill in the area. 

When he stepped into the room, he found him sitting contently at the table, leaned back with his hands linked behind his head, tangled in the blonde curls that adorned it. It was such an odd pose that he had to pause and stare, shifting in the dark pants and soft white shirt he had been given. It almost seemed  _ too  _ relaxed, in a way. He's also surprised by how  _ tan  _ the God of the Underworld is, which almost seems impossible once he really thinks about it.. but he tries not to linger long. 

The table was covered with platters of fruits and rolls and syrups and honeys and all sorts of things- he felt his stomach growl at the sight. Everything here almost looked better than at home, which worried him. Maybe it was just because he had more options. “How did you sleep,Steve?” Billy asks, and it startles him again when he uses the name that isn’t his  _ God _ name. “I slept okay,” he says, almost a lie, but just enough of the truth to be convincing. He nods, shifts upright again, and watches him for a moment, almost as if he couldn’t take his eyes away, until Steve clears his throat. 

“Good. You know, I thought of taking you around here today,” he remarks, gesturing loosely around the room as he picks up a few grapes, popping one into his mouth contently. Steve watches his lips for a moment before nodding slowly, then touches the edge of his shirt and sort of plucks at it thoughtfully. “Why did you give me these?” He asks in a sharp way, his eyebrows drawing down hard over his dark eyes. Billy’s blue eyes glance over Steve’s shoulders, and his grape eating slows down for a moment. His tongue presses against the inside of his cheek, then sweeps over his lip with a hum, and returns his gaze to his. “The robe you were wearing seemed uncomfortable. I can’t believe they’re still wearing those fuckin’ things,” he says with a shrug, raising that scarred eyebrow again. “Tell me it isn’t better. I dare you.” 

Steve opens his mouth to retaliate, but overall knows the God before him is right, so he snaps it shut again and annoyedly shoves a grape in it too, just for safekeeping. He realizes then, too, that Billy himself wasn’t even wearing a robe at all; he wore a leather jacket with a dark shirt that was barely buttoned, and dark jeans. He assumed there was a belt somewhere in the mix, but he wasn’t about to stare to find out. It made him look a bit more dangerous in a way that Steve wasn't used to noticing- up in his home everyone dressed in their "godly" way of pretty white robes and dresses with gold belts and glistening armor. Gods didn't dress like this usually, he decided. 

Billy is smirking when he looks back at him, and it makes him almost instantly defensive. He's sure it's because he's smug about being right, but he doesn't ask just in case it isn't. "Feel free to eat more, by the way. The tour will take a while," he says, gesturing to the food before them loosely. Steve nods, taking a roll or two despite his brain telling him he shouldn't give into the man who  _ literally stole him _ , but he can't resist. Hunger is beating out the better parts of his brain, which might be for the best anyway. "You like the lighting, pretty boy?" Billy asks around another grape, to which he nods a little again. "It's only like this during what you would say your 'daytime' is. I made it this way because some of the fucking people who come down here can't see shit." 

He pours himself a cup of water and takes a gulp of it quickly, watching the God as he talks. "I'm not surprised," he mutters, which Billy snickers at. "What? Not everyone can be the God of the Underworld and see clearly in the dark." The blonde nods bemusedly, still snickering a bit as he eyes Steve, grinning in this long way. "Sucks to be them."

Once breakfast was finished, Billy took Steve around the palace. They walked the long halls in silence- on Steve’s end it was just nervousness. He caught the God glancing at him often, those light blue eyes of his eyeing him in this wondering way. It was strange, almost, to see him like this; he could never imagine the God of the Underworld looking at  _ anybody  _ in a way that could be marked as gentle. Hades wasn’t a man to forgive or apologize, and he was always harsh- Steve knew this from ages of watching him from afar, and from stories his mother would tell. He tried hard to steel himself against liking the palace, tried desperately to find each room and piece of grand artwork as bland in the face of his wildflowers and fields back home, but it was difficult. The palace was beautiful in its own way, and even he couldn’t think of it as anything else. 

“Your home is a pretty one, I’ll admit to that, Billy,” he started, looking over at him. “But it doesn’t compare to mine.”

The God nodded slowly, a slight smirk on his lips as he took Steve’s arm, drawing him through a wide, cavern-like doorway. The doors were heavy and braced with thick iron, and they swung open as if someone had done it for them, and when he stepped through, his heart stopped hard in his chest. 

The Land of the Dead. 

The great rivers met before them, drawn up to a wide and unsteady pier that was littered in thick cobwebs. Giant ferries rolled in and out of the thick fog, bringing in the newest additions to the land- he could hear their low creaks from where he stood. Their occupants were silent, unmoving, shoulder-to-shoulder like cattle, much like the ones that gathered on the riverside. Pale ghosts, almost human looking, with faces that weren’t defined by much but slight shapes, moved slowly along. They didn’t seem to notice either of them, not that he wanted them to. It smelled oddly like flowers and dust and smoke- but distant, like they were just forgotten scents. His breath barely escaped him as he looked around, feeling much like an intruder in a place where nothing but him and Hades breathed or thought or  _ spoke.  _

“This place is what was left for me,” Billy said, gesturing loosely with his open arm, and Steve was surprised to see almost a bitter sadness in his light eyes. “They live with their fucking sacrifices and feasts and beautiful days, laughing among the others, and I am here, looking over a place where barely anything speaks. Sure, I have Cerberus, but he’s a damn  _ dog _ , and a few servants, but it will never be the same. No mortal could live here.” He stops talking for a moment to let out a long sigh, closing his eyes. “Can you blame me for taking you? A beautiful boy with a vibrant personality, that can still speak or see?” 

Steve didn’t realize that he was clinging to the God’s arm, feeling tears pour down his cheeks as he looked over the rivers and the masses of people. He had never really been able to witness death, as it was never allowed by his mother, so seeing such a place shattered his heart. “Is this really where they all go?” He whispered, and Billy nodded. “Except for the Elysian islands. Great heroes or artists or just..mortals who lived well can expect to go there,” he said and Steve nodded a little, frowning. When he looked over at the God, he was surprised to see some of the harsher lines fade away, turning into something a bit more sympathetic. Something he didn’t think he was capable of. “Can you bring me there?” He asked, and Billy’s light eyes closed for a moment before he nodded again.

He didn’t remember moving at all, but suddenly they were shin-deep in the sandy shore of a beautiful island. Sunlight washed over his tan skin again, almost overwhelming him with the warmth and the brightness of it all. He beamed, laughing to himself as he walked into the tall, luxurious lengths of grasses, spying trees and all colors of flowers swaying in a breeze he couldn’t feel. Birds sang in the distance, animals dove into the forests, and all he could was just  _ smile  _ about it. “This is so beautiful, Hades,” he said over his shoulder, looking back at the God. “Are there more of them?” Billy gave him a small nod, glancing around a bit before focusing his gaze back to him. It was a strange gesture, and Steve realized the dark-clad male had an almost indescribable emotion on his face, which almost worried him. He stepped forward, a flower in hand, and reached it out, watching how he looked down at his palm. 

“What’s wrong?” He asked him, his voice quiet. Billy met his eyes and exhaled, closing them a moment after. “I wish I knew what you see, Persephone. I can hear the sounds of life, but I don’t see them. I never have. It is black as the damn night, except for you,” he murmured, taking Steve’s hand. The action made his heart miss a beat, and all he could do was smile a little. He didn’t feel any fear for the God before him- here, he wasn’t the arrogant king of the Underworld, nor the Hades that had cold angry eyes and a sly grin. He was a beautiful man who had been hardened by ages of things being taken from him and bitterness, a man who wanted power and got exactly that, with a price. How much of his life had been affected by things he could or couldn’t control?

Steve shifted a bit, let go of his hand, and turned to the fields, exhaling softly. “I’ll be right back,” he told him over his shoulder, feeling calmer than he had in all of his time being with the God. He stepped through the grasses and drank it all in, brushing his palms over the tops of the plants and across tree trunks, humming when he came across a twisted, old tree. It was to no surprise that it’s thick branches held large, ripe pomegranates- he reached up and carefully twisted it from the tree, glancing around at the sound of a voice nearby. He never found where it had sounded from, but he assumed it was a hero or a mortal who had earned his place here as he returned to the beach and his dark Lord. 

When they returned to the palace, Billy didn’t let him go back to his room just yet, but instead, lead him to a garden. It was hard to call it a garden at all, seeing how dark and blackened everything in it was. The ground was almost ashen, and Steve frowned at the sight, brushing his fingertips across the petal of a dying flower. Billy sighed as he watched him move about the area, his light blue eyes turning to each object the Spring God touched. “This used to be an actual garden, until I had a fight with Zeus once. It was beautiful, I think. The one successful garden I had,” he murmured, shaking his head, and Steve nodded, though he was frowning. He still held the pomegranate he had picked- he almost thought of planting it, but instead, he just closed his eyes. If he could remember what he thought of the night he sat on his bed and made flowers bloom along the rail of it.. Maybe he could bring back the garden. Maybe.

“I can bring it back,” he said softly, and he felt Hades’ hand brush across his. “I’m not the God of Spring for nothing, you know. If I focus, it will listen.” Billy made a sound of approval, so he took a deep breath, twining himself deep in his thoughts as he imagined home, imagined the flowers he bloomed, imagined the ones lining his bedroom. There was a deep rumble and a chorus of rustling all around them, and he heard Billy gasp quietly beside them. When he opened his eyes, a beaming smile stretched across his face as he looked around them, proud to see dying flowers once again becoming what they used to be. The trees were regaining their warm brown tones, the leaves were becoming faded yellows and vibrant greens again. 

“Just give it time, it’ll come back.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one gets really sweet, I'm really glad people are enjoying the read! I'll definitely try to keep uploading as soon as I can, I love writing this AU tbh <3

“Why did you choose to do this?” Billy asked in a hushed voice, turning on his heel to look around them. Steve bit his lip as he thought over a good answer, glancing around the once again blooming garden with a smile. “It deserves to be what it was before, I guess.. And it doesn’t seem fair that they took it away from you.”

“Why do you say that?” The God’s eyes are sharp as he looks at him, and Steve has to look away to keep from faltering. “You may say cruel things and you may have fought with Zeus and Poseidon before, but it’s not like you’re evil, Hades. Everything you are happened because of them- I can see that now,” he paused, taking a deep breath. “I used to run all around, finding little crevices to watch you from. You were always so interesting to me- being my Mother said you were harsh and never the nicest man, and she forbade me to talk to you. You were frightening too, but... In a way that Zeus was too. The same loudness and anger, mercilessness.. You get it. But, I think, now that I’ve seen your home, now that I’ve seen what they did to you, I think I understand you.” Billy took in a deep breath through his nose, closing his eyes when Steve finished speaking. “It really shocks me, you know. I take you from your home, and here you are, being so kind to me,” he finally says, and he smiles a tiny bit at him. “I just.. I’m getting it, slowly, is all.”

The God nodded, turning to one of the bright white lilies that had reached out over his shoulder, and gently ran his hand over the petals. “You, Steve, are everything I long for. Beauty and warmth, sunlight and fresh air. A man who is, entirely, a world I can never fucking see again,” he says, his voice tinged with an angry sort of bitterness. Steve frowned, touching the God’s arm with his fingertips and letting out a quiet breath. “Don’t say never. Things always change, you know. Maybe the next time it could be tipped in your favor or something,” he tells him, and Billy makes a sound similar to a snort. “Right. Me? I’ve never been favored. I wasn’t created to be. Zeus and Poseidon will never let me be anything like they are, not that I need their approval.”

“Maybe there will be a time when their word isn’t listened to anymore, or a time where they’re less important.”

Billy laughs at this, something low in his throat, something that tugs the corners of his mouth into a grin most would call flirty. “What would your mother think if she heard you saying that, huh pretty boy?” He asks him, and Steve gives him a light shrug. “My mother isn’t here, and in this I’d say her opinion doesn’t matter to me.” He spoke with such a force that he could see it in Billy’s eyes, in the way he turned from the flower to him, that it caught him off guard. He knew the God would see his new confidence easily, and that made him happy in an odd way. “You’ve already changed. A day in this place, and look at what you are,” Billy murmured, crossing his arms over his chest as he looks at him. “These things happen. Even we can change, you know.”

A quiet only filled by the rustling of blooming plants settles in the air, and as they turned to look back at them all, it almost feels comfortable. In a strange, strange way does it feel comfortable, but Steve was more than glad for it. He took the time to really study the God beside him, tracing the scar in his eyebrow and his long, long eyelashes and the way his lips tugged up into a snarl- but not all the time, sometimes it was more of a baby snarl. His eyes fell down his throat to the wide scar on his chest, visible to him by his still barely buttoned shirt, and he was unable to look away quick enough when Billy finally broke out of his thoughts to catch his eye again. “What is it?” He asked, his voice quiet, just for him. “Nothing, I was just looking,” Steve said quickly, looking down to the fruit in his hands, just for a moment. The trees that were once blackened were producing more of them- thick, deep red ones hanging from the branches.

“I was just thinking,” Billy started, stepping forward to stand beneath the branches of the pomegranate tree. “I don’t apologize often. But I feel like I should, for what I’ve done.” He blinked a few times in surprise, watching the man from afar, shaking his head. “You don’t have to, Hades. I already forgave you once,” he said with a soft laugh, and when the God turned around, his eyes were dark. “You do that too damn easily, Persephone. You would easily be flawless if there wasn’t that,” he told him, and Steve found himself frowning again. “Well, I think you’re too hard on yourself. How about that?” he said, in a gentle tone, and Billy sighed.

“Too hard on myself? After stealing you from your home, the place you love, after keeping you here and treating you in such harsh ways? I have said and hinted at or imagined wild things- I was going to have you, body, mind, soul, whatever the fuck, no matter what you said. Terrible, terrible things-”

“Everything you did, Billy.. You were driven to that,” he interrupted, almost a little desperate to quiet him. He breached the gap of space between them and reached up to his cheek, noting how he flinched when his tan palm met it. That in its' own silenced him- and he stared into Steve’s dark eyes in a way that was purely exposed. Bare, naked, all of his wonder for him showed through those light eyes. The space between his eyebrows softened. “It isn’t your fault you’ve been mistreated for such a long time. You had no better way to be- you were alone and afraid. I forgive you now, after everything, and I’ll keep forgiving you, okay? You have to forgive yourself,” he said quietly, a little smile on his lips. Billy closed his eyes, shook his head, and sighed once he finished. “I’m not sure if I could, Steve. I owe it to you, though.”

Steve nodded and watched as he stepped back from his touch, listening to the aching breath he drew in. “Steve,” he started, his light eyes looking back at him. They were almost sad. “I’m releasing you. I’ll call Hermes, and he’ll bring you home. You can go back to your Mother and your flowers and sun, and be happy.” He watched as his hands clenched hard enough for the knuckles to turn white, turning his back to him. “You’ve done enough here-” 

“Wait, Billy. Hang on, okay?”

The man tensed, paused where he was standing, his back an unforgiving line. Steve tossed the pomegranate back and forth between his hands, swallowing nervously as he glanced around them again. “Do you have a knife?” he asked, and the God nodded, sighing as he turned on his heel to face him again, reaching into his jacket to tug a knife from it. It was long and silver once unfolded, and had intricate skulls carved into the steel- it glistened in the low light. He sliced into the fruit, watching the juice pour between his fingers like it had Billy’s a night or so ago, then handed back the knife. His fingers carefully tugged the seeds from it, and he looked the God in the eye as he placed one on his tongue. 

“Shit, wait, Steve, you shouldn’t-”

“Why not?” He asked bemusedly, smiling as he tipped his head back and tossed the handful that lay on his palm into his mouth, watching the God as he stared at him, his mouth opening and closing in shock. “I- what- why? Why the hell-” He demanded, stuttering the slightest bit, but his voice was rough as he watched. “Well... Maybe there’s something here worth returning to. Something my home doesn’t have. Maybe something here touched me, Billy. I don’t think... Funny enough, that I’m ready to say goodbye to it. Does that answer your question?”

“What about your mother?”

“Everyone has to leave home sometime, I’d say,” he said with a soft laugh, watching as Billy’s face came back to his calmness, despite the fact that he was still trying to figure out what words to use. Steve reached out and took his hand, watching as the pomegranate juice smeared across his palm. “And find a new one. You  _ did  _ say you wanted me to stay,” he remarked when the God didn’t say anything, and Billy closed his eyes. “Christ, fuck,  _ shit,  _ Steve. You constantly undo everything I have and remake it, all in the same fucking time. I can’t believe you. You’re so much more than I thought,” he said, shaking his head. “Fuck.”

Steve just smiled and looked into those long-lashed ocean eyes the God had, and was met with a kiss.

He knew what Hades was going to say just through that.

**Author's Note:**

> I had this idea in my head for WEEKS and finally got around to writing it up! There will be more chapters very very soon, this is just a start ;3 The second chapter will be a bit smoother especially with Billy's personality too, just by the way!


End file.
